The subject of the invention is a method for forming hard packets, in particular for cigarettes or the like, of the type comprising a box part hinged to a flip-up lid which has at least one side which, in the closed position, partly overlaps a collar fixed to one or more internal sides of the box part and projecting partly beyond the open side of the box part, towards the flip-up lid, and being shaped such that it forms a front opening via which the cigarettes are grasped when the lid is in the open position, a coupon being removably inserted between the said collar and the group of cigarettes and projecting into the front opening via which the cigarettes are grasped, according to which method the coupon and the collar are fed, in the predetermined reciprocal position, to the group of cigarettes during the formation of the hard packet, which involves wrapping a suitably preshaped blank around an ordered group of cigarettes which has optionally previously been wrapped in an internal wrapper.
The coupons, slips or the like, which are removably housed in the hard packets, are used to convey various kinds of messages, in particular for advertising, promotional or similar purposes. Since it is frequently the case that the internal cigarette wrapper is fixed to the inside of the hard packet at the bottom of the front face, inside which the coupon is inserted, and in addition, since the coupon itself must not project beyond the free edge of the collar, or else it will be damaged by the lid, the reciprocal position of the coupon with respect to the collar and to the packet can vary only within extremely restricted limits. It is therefore necessary to feed the coupon with a certain degree of accuracy and to maintain the reciprocal position between the coupon, the collar, the group of cigarettes and the packet blank throughout all the forming stages. Moreover, in order to prevent the coupon from also being glued to the front face of the packet together with the internal wrapper, or to allow greater leeway in the positioning of the coupon, it is advantageous to use coupons of relatively short format, in other words ones which terminate a certain distance from the base of the packet and which therefore do not project at all, or do so only by a very limited amount, beyond the lower edge of that part of the collar which extends inside the box part of the packet.
The object of the invention is therefore to effect a method for forming hard packets of the type described at the outset which enables the coupons to be fed in the correct predetermined position with respect to the collars and to the ordered groups of cigarettes, in a simple and inexpensive way without limiting the production rate, and which enables the said reciprocal position to be effectively maintained during the packet-forming stages.
The invention achieves the above objects with a method of the type described at the outset, in which the coupon and the collar are coupled to the group of cigarettes together, being held in the correct reciprocal position by means of suction and the collar being held in a predetermined position by means of suction acting on two intermediate zones on its surface, while the coupon is held in position with respect to the collar by means of suction acting on its part projecting into the top recess of the collar which constitutes the opening via which the cigarettes are grasped and on at least one opening, hole or the like made at a predetermined point on that part of the collar inside the box part.
According to an additional characteristic, the coupon and the collar are transferred into the unit for forming the hard packet together with the group of cigarettes to which they are coupled, the said three parts being held in the correct reciprocal position by gripping certain areas of the collar against the ordered group of cigarettes.
In particular, when the collar is provided with lateral wings which internally overlap the flanks of the box part of the packet, the method also involves folding the said wings beforehand into their final position, at least prior to transfer of the ordered group of cigarettes together with the coupon and the collar into the unit for forming the packet, preferably at least during the said transfer, by gripping the wings of the collar which overlap the opposing flanks of the group of cigarettes against the corresponding flanks of the latter.
The subject of the invention is a machine for packaging cigarettes or the like in hard packets, comprising a unit for forming ordered groups of cigarettes, which are optionally wrapped in an internal wrapper of the packet, and means for transferring the said ordered groups of cigarettes to a drum which forms the hard packet and is provided with sockets for housing the said ordered groups, with means for feeding the coupons, the collars and the blanks for the hard packets, and with means for folding the said blanks, so as to form the hard packet by wrapping the blanks around the ordered groups of cigarettes.
In order to implement the method according to the invention, the said machine has, in an intermediate position between the unit for forming the ordered groups of cigarettes and for wrapping the latter in an internal wrapper of the packet, and the unit for forming the hard packet, a unit which couples the collars to the coupons and to the ordered groups of cigarettes. The said coupling unit has at least one suction housing which can be moved alternately from one to another of at least four stations including:
a first collar-feeding station associated with means for feeding the collars and punching means for forming at least one opening in an end of the collar which is designed to be housed inside the box part; PA1 a second station associated with means for feeding the coupons in the correct predetermined position overlapping the corresponding collar; PA1 a third station for feeding a group of cigarettes, which is optionally wrapped in an internal wrapper of the packet, in the correct position overlapping the coupon and the collar; PA1 a station for transferring the group of cigarettes together with the associated coupon and collar into a socket of the wheel for forming the packet, and which is associated with pick-up means which are provided with means for gripping the coupon between the collar and the group of cigarettes, which means act on at least one side of the collar and on at least one opposite side of the group of cigarettes, while the suction housing is provided with at least one suction opening which coincides with a predetermined zone on the surface of the collar, and with at least one suction opening coinciding with the recess of the collar, and with a suction opening in the region of the aperture in the opposite zone of the collar to the said recess.
The invention also provides a collar for implementing the said method in which at least one hole, opening or the like is made in at least one end of the said collar which is designed to be housed inside the box part of the hard packet, preferably in the opposite end to that with the recess constituting the opening via which the cigarettes are grasped, and on the side facing the front face of the packet.
By virtue of the invention it is possible to produce, in a simple and inexpensive way, hard packets provided with removable coupons, in which the coupon is always accurately positioned inside the packet. The machine for forming hard packets according to the invention is not much more complex than conventional machines, since the only additional requirement is a unit for coupling together the collars, coupons and groups of cigarettes and which operates between the unit for forming the group of cigarettes and for wrapping the latter in the internal wrapper of the packet and the unit for forming the hard packet, while the means for transferring and for feeding the said parts would already be provided.
Moreover, the specific shape of the collar, in particular the aperture or apertures in the central part of the latter, enable coupons of various lengths to be used, including ones which are approximately as long as or shorter than the central part of the said collar, additionally allowing the two parts to be always effectively held in their predetermined reciprocal position and guaranteeing greater leeway in positioning.
The invention also relates to other characteristics which further improve the machine and the collar described above and which are discussed hereafter.